Only under extreme duress will I go see a movie in 3D. The picture quality is universally horrid and I have no tolerance for the inflated ticket prices. On the other hand, after watching Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” two years ago and now Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” both in 70 mm film, I’d gladly pay the premium for that experience. The 70 mm picture is monumental, warm and truly gorgeous, and it really feels like watching something you’d never be able to replicate in any other environment.
Of course, it’s unfair to compare 3D and 70 mm when the latter has the attention of filmmakers like Tarantino and Nolan. But that is the point; these people tell stories that can only be depicted in film, tall and wide and watched in public. “Dunkirk” was exactly that, a stunningly ambitious, expertly executed and surprisingly concise war film whose power, it’s evident almost from the first moments, is uniquely derived from the bigness that you only get at your local cinema. I found myself completely swept up by it.
Here are all twelve movies I watched in June.
- “Back to the Future” Not without its problems but still a wonderful ride.
- “John Wick: Chapter 2” About as a good as any B-movie sequel that’s short on ideas has a right to be.
- “Sing” Cynical but affecting.
- “Star Trek Beyond” On second watch, even thinner and more desperate than the first time.
- “Throne of Blood” Great.
- “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore” Clearly owes a debt to the Coen Brothers but not bad.
- “The Iron Giant” I tried really, really hard not to cry.
- “On Dangerous Ground” Tedious but also weirdly interesting film noir.
- “The Yakuza Papers, Vol. 1: Battles Without Honor and Humanity” Pretty much what I expected “Gangs of New York” to be.
- “Rocky” Undiminished by time and even sequels.
- “The Yakuza Papers, Vol. 2: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima” Not sure I’m going to make it to the next installment in this series.
- “Dunkirk”
If you’re interested, here is what I watched in June, in May, in April, in March, in February and in January, as well as my full list of everything I watched in 2016. You can also follow along with my film diary over at letterboxd.com.
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